


a romance for the small things

by spider_momo



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: :(, Banter, Candles, Date Night, F/M, FallInLoveUsaMamo Exchange, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hiking, Sailor Senshi Friendship, Sailor Senshis, Sick Mamoru, Usagi is so in love, autumn vibes, because i feel like that's glossed over a lot lol, my frankly ridiculous sense of humour, some minor allusions to the fact mamoru is an empath and like the earth's life force, some soft stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 01:17:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21235748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spider_momo/pseuds/spider_momo
Summary: "From the moment I met you,My life was all youYou’re the star that turns ordinaries into extraordinaries"---a series of usamamo moments throughout autumn.





	1. a flu of royal proportions

**Author's Note:**

> I maybe-possibly-might-just continue this series with more short seasonal episodes 👀
> 
> (title is an allusion to bts' song but romance instead of poem because i haven't written a poem since 9th grade)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mamo-chan gets sick and everyone comes to help.

* * *

“Oh, so _ you’re _ the one to blame for the second monsoon season going on outside? You know, I had plans this weekend! Plans based on the promise of clear skies and 21-degree weather.” 

“Oh please, Minako. Your ‘plans’ were to stock up on snacks and binge-watch your latest K-drama obsession.” 

“And does it look like I’m able to do that now, Rei? Mako, can’t you do anything about— _ this! _” Minako pulled back thick curtains with excessive dramatization, revealing a dark grey sky and heavy rainfall splattering against the glass of the window. Makoto looked over to Minako after hearing her name, setting a canvas bag down on the counter. 

“Mina,” she sighed, “I’m a _ Senshi _. Not a weather god.” 

“Ugh,” Minako looked through the window, distaste apparent on her face, “This weather is making _ me _ feel sick just by looking at it. Seriously, what’s the point of having healing abilities if you still get knocked down by a cold of all— _ ow! _” Minako flinched as a throw pillow hit the side of her head. She fumbled to grab it and glowered at her assailant’s direction. 

“You’re being too loud. You’re giving my headache _ a headache _.” 

“I’m not even being _ that _ loud. Big baby,” Minako grumbled under her breath, squeezing the pillow in her arms and making her way next to Makoto by the kitchen counter. 

“Why did you let her come?” Mamoru whined, returning his attention to Usagi who sat next to him as Ami took his temperature. Usagi squeezed his hand with a sympathetic smile. Mamoru’s nose and cheeks were flushed rosy pink, eyes slightly red and watery, and hair almost as rumpled as his black joggers and oversized sweatshirt he had on. With mismatched socks on his feet, a fluffy blanket around his shoulders, and a thermometer in his mouth...it was a pretty pathetic sight if Usagi was being honest. Like a baby bird with an injured wing or a newborn fawn struggling to stand, Mamoru was pretty much helpless when he was sick. It was probably a good thing he rarely was sick. 

“39.5, hmm.” Ami frowned, removing the thermometer after it let out a series of _ beeps _ . “As long as it doesn’t get any higher I don’t think it’s anything to worry _ too _ much about.” Despite the uncomfortable heat of his skin, Mamoru was still shivering. 

“Can we turn the heat down?” Minako asked, shrugging off her raincoat and tossing it across the dining table chair. “It feels like 39 degrees in _ here _ too.” 

“You’re free to _ leave _, you know?” Mamoru grumbled. 

Minako ignored him, wandering around the living area. “Wow, you even have this expensive-ass humidifier. Ooh, and these fancy weighted blankets. Huh, being sick when you’re rich sounds like it might actually be fun.” Usagi put a hand on Mamoru’s shoulder before he could continue to uselessly argue with Minako. 

“Don’t mind her. She’s just really worried,” Usagi stage-whispered conspiratorially. 

“Really?” Mamoru asked glancing back over to Minako, half-disbelieving and half-amused. 

“Well, _ obviously _ I was worried! Look outside!” Minako gestured to the raging rainstorm, standing upright from where she was poking through Mamoru’s scented candles. 

“You,” She glared gesticulating in Mamoru’s direction, “Take better care of your health. Just look at this mess you’re causing,” Minako shook her head and clicked her tongue before returning to pilfering through Mamoru’s things. 

“Stop touching those,” Mamoru called out half-heartedly, voice low and weak from his sore throat. Minako began to hum loudly and rather off-tune, ignoring Mamoru’s protests. 

“Here, drink this,” Rei instructed, suddenly appearing in front of Mamoru. She offered a mug of brown, steaming liquid on a wooden tray. Mamoru mumbled a thank you before taking a sip, still looking in Minako’s direction with trepidation as she pulled random books off of the shelf. Usagi watched mildly concerned as his eyes suddenly widened and a coughing fit began after he swallowed. She hastily took to cup form his hand, setting it on the coffee table, before rubbing his back. 

“What the hell _ was _ that?” Mamoru croaked out, looking up at an unimpressed Rei.

“Kombucha tea.” 

“It tastes _ disgusting _.” 

Rei scowled, putting her hands on her hips. “It’s _ good _ for your immune system. Everyone knows that if medicine tastes bad that means it’s working!” Ami winced and silently took the mug back to the kitchen, along with the thermometer, as Rei continued to scold Mamoru during his coughing fit. 

“Rei, what the _ hell _?” Makoto said, face twisted up in disgust after trying some of the tea from a newly opened bottled. She set it down on the counter as Minako skipped over intrigued by the commotion. 

The blonde took a swig of the liquid, trying some out for herself. 

“Ew, it tastes like vinegar and cinnamon! Oh _ shit _ . It _ burns _.” Minako choked out, trying not to gag as she hurried to get some tap water. Makoto pushed the bottles aside and grabbed a kettle

“I’ll make you some ginger tea, Mamoru,” she said, starting up the stove. 

“Ah can’t feel ma tongah,” Minako whined through a mouthful of ice cream she grabbed from Mamoru’s freezer. 

“Quit making a mess, idiot!” Rei scowled slapping the back of Minako’s head. “And quit acting like you live here, don’t you have any manners?”

“It’s not like he’s gonna eat ice cream when he’s _ sick _.” 

“Mina. At least don’t eat it straight out of the container,” Ami chided. 

“Oh my god, I’ll buy some more later.” 

“Hey, out of the kitchen. I’m trying to make tea here!” Makoto paused her ginger grating, shoving the three of them away. 

“But I’m hungry! What else you got to eat, Mamoru?”

“We ate before we came here, idiot.”

“And?”

“Ugh, even _ Usagi _ is showing better manners than you.” 

“Wow, what crawled up your ass today, Hino?” 

“Can you two _ please _ stop fighting?”

Mamoru screwed his eyes shut, trying to block out the bickering; the four Senshis talked over one another, voices growing louder and louder. 

“Maybe I _ shouldn’t _ have brought them all,” Usagi laughed sheepishly. Probably would have been a good call just to invite Ami and Makoto. 

“You think?” Mamoru scoffed, rubbing his chest that was sore from all the coughing. 

“It’s not my fault! _ You’re _ the one called me saying you were ‘dying’. Between that and the freak weather change, I thought you were being literal!” 

Mamoru blinked at her. “I called you?” 

“Why do you think we showed up here, genius?” Minako rolled her eyes, making her way into the living area again after Makoto threatened her with a cheese grater. 

Mamoru stared blankly ahead, “When _ did _ you get here?”

“Like 20 minutes ago. You don’t remember getting up and answering the door?” Rei raised an eyebrow. Mamoru just shook his head, confused expression forming on his face. The Senshis looked between each and then back at Mamoru and then over to Ami. 

“Short-term memory storage impairment induced by his fever and cold,” Ami explained as the other four let out a sigh of relief. “Also, I’m pretty sure he took like six different types of medicine before we got here, so…” Ami gestured vaguely around her head, indicated that _ yes _, Mamoru was pretty much out of it. 

Rei and Minako let out exhausted groans, both of them flopping onto the adjacent loveseat. His Highness was quite the patient to deal with when he was sick. 

“Hey, Mamoru. What day of the week is it?” 

“...Tuesday?” It was Saturday. 

“Oh god, he’d probably be dead in the bathtub if we didn’t show up when we did.” 

“Oh, Mamo-chan,” Usagi smiled sympathetically once more, patting his hand. “Let’s hope you don’t get sick again for a long time.”

Sometime later Mamoru was nursing a cup of ginger tea with milk and honey, throat and taste buds quite thankful. Usagi ate some orange slices, sitting cross-legged next to him, although not as close as she would normally because as bad as sick Mamoru was, a sick Usagi was ten times worse. She had accumulated a rather large pile of orange peels on the coffee table next to a packet of half-eaten strawberry Pocky and some milk bread. Off to the side, Rei and Minako experimenting with the humidifier and essential oils (against Mamoru’s wishes), arguing about what smelled better. Makoto had finished tidying up the kitchen (and dumped Rei’s kombucha down the sink) and Ami had diligently restocked and organized Mamoru’s medicine cabinet so they both sat down and began to watch some baking competition show with Usagi. Mamoru tried focusing on the screen, but his eyes would begin to sting and water every few minutes; he accumulated more and more tissues into an empty tissue box and wrapped his blanket around his body tightly, trying his best to keep his tired eyes open.

The rainfall was finally beginning to ease up as Mamoru dozed off, long legs hanging off the end of the sofa and head pressed against a pillow on Usagi’s lap. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like mamoru doesn't get sick very often but when he does he's absolutely terrible at taking care of himself so it's like an all hands on deck situation. also headcanoning the weather changes when he does get sick because the earth literally almost collapsed when he almost died that one time (and also it happened for mako so shhh)


	2. cold fingers, warm hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the moment I met you,  
My life was all you  
You’re the star that turns ordinaries into extraordinaries  
One after another, everything is special  
The things you’re interested in, the way you walk or talk, and every little trivial habit of yours
> 
> A Poem for the Small Things (Boy with Luv)— BTS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the kids go hiking. there are Losses.

* * *

“I’m so hungry, I can’t even remember what food tastes like.” Loud huffing was followed by high-pitched whines.

“What do cheeseburgers taste like? I can’t remember!” More huffing and moaning followed by some stumbling. 

“Uhhhh...Oh god, this was a bad idea.” Heaving and groaning, Usagi lowered herself to sit on the dryest looking log she could find. It was still kinda damp though, with dark green moss on the edges. A small cluster of wet leaves piled up on the side of it, likely blown there by the wind and rain. Usagi winced at the aching stitch on her left side; it throbbed every few seconds causing her ribs to flare up in pain. Her fingers and toes were beginning to feel numb and her nose and ears stung from the cold, crisp air. Not to mention, her stomach that was beginning to feel emptier than ever. To sum it up: Usagi was not having a good time. 

It got a bit worse when a granola bar smacked her chest and fell to her lap. 

“ _ Ouch! _ ” Usagi glared up at Rei who ignored her and zipped her backpack up. “That  _ hurt _ .”

“We’ve been walking for like 20 minutes. How are you tired already?” 

“It’s windy and wet. My shins hurt and my face is cold. I don’t like this,” Usagi grouched, tearing open the granola bar. It was almond and chocolate, so that was a small victory. 

“You can do it, Usagi-chan! It won’t be as bad as you think,” Ami smiled reassuringly and returned to discussing directions with the others. 

“Just think of the pretty view once you reach the top. That autumn aesthetic will make everything worth it,” Michiru nudged Usagi playful, stepping over the log. Usagi just pouted and took another large bite of her granola bar, finishing it off. The  _ autumn aesthetic  _ was the reason Usagi agreed to come on this hiking trip. Visions of reddish-orange leaves, thick forest and trees, and a stunning city view seemed so alluring. That was before 20 minutes of walking on uneven ground, tripping of roots and rocks, and shivering from the chilly midday wind. Usagi could have been at home, huddled up in a cozy blanket binge-watching some romance drama with a giant bowl of hot ramen. Instead, she was out in the wilderness, listening to her friends bicker about trails and directions. Usagi sighed and shoved the wrapper into her pocket to be thrown out later, leaning back on the log a bit more. 

A pale blue water bottle suddenly appeared in her line of vision. Usagi looked upward to see an amused looking Mamoru. Usagi grabbed the bottle from him, unscrewing the cap and bringing it to her lips. 

“Tired?” He asked, sitting down next to her. Usagi tipped her head backwards and took a large gulp of water rather than responding. The water was cold, refreshing, and almost sweet; her dry throat appreciated it greatly. 

After downing about a third, she handed the bottle back to Mamoru. She turned to thank him only to find him staring fondly at her. Her heart skipped a beat but not from exercise this time. Usagi knew she probably said this about him every single season, but she swore Mamoru looked especially handsome in the fall. Dark bangs swept across his forehead in gentle waves, wonderfully tousled from the wind, the ends threatening to fall into his eyes. Eyes that seemed strikingly deep and blue among the orange and yellow shrubbery. With a loose dark-washed denim jacket on top of a thick grey turtleneck and form-fitting hiking pants tucked into charcoal coloured boots, he looked straight out of a fall edition of an outdoors catalogue. 

Usagi looked down at her own outfit that consisted of a baby pink raincoat with a white chunky-knit sweater underneath, the thickest pair of leggings she could find, long woollen socks, and her worn out knock-off Timberlands and then glanced at the rest of the group. From a scale of Dressed Like Actual Hikers (Makoto and Haruka) to Definitely Overdressed (Minako and Michiru), Usagi would put herself closer to Ami (Epitome of Practical but Casual) and Mamoru somewhere between Rei and Minako. 

“Are we seriously lost  _ already _ ?” Minako asked exasperated.

“We are not  _ lost _ ,” Haruka insisted. 

“We’re just trying to figure out what direction is the best to go with,” Ami added.

“Both routes look like they lead to the peak but…” Makoto squinted at her screen, zooming in on the map. 

“Doesn’t this trail go south then? We need to go north,” Rei leaned in closer too.

“No, it goes north too. It connects back...here.” Makoto pointed out. “I think?”

“ _ Let’s go hiking on the trail without signs and an actual path, it’ll be fine _ !” Minako grumbled under her breath in a comically pitched voice, taking a seat on the other side of Usagi, stretching her legs out, heels digging into the leaves and dirt.

“Have you guys figured it out yet?” Usagi asked, looking down at the untied laces on her right boot and pouting. Mamoru huffed out a laugh and tugged her leg upwards into his lap, loosening the loop so he could re-tie them. Usagi mumbled a  _ thank you _ , still pouting. 

“Let’s just take a vote,” Michiru suggested, also getting bored of just sitting around. “East or West” 

“East!” Minako, Mamoru and Ami called out. 

“It’s  _ west _ , though,” Haruka said making a face. 

“If you go west, you’ll have to circle all the way back around to reach the peak again,” Mamoru pointed out gesturing with his finger. 

“The map says the west one though,” Makoto frowned. 

“The path there is blocked though, so you’ll have to go around.” 

“How do you know that?” Haruka scoffed, hand on her hip.

“Intuition,” Mamoru shrugged, tugging Usagi’s laced tightly into a neat bow. 

“So, we’re just supposed to trust your freaky internal compass?” 

“It’s freaky psychometry or your, frankly, below average map reading skills,” Minako grinned, hopping to her feet.

“I  _ know _ how to read a map,” Haruka glared. “That’s how I know we’re supposed to go  _ west _ .” 

“How about,” Michiru interjected, “We split up. Two teams: east and west,” she suggested with a smile, wiggling two fingers to indicate the two options.

“Sounds good to me,” Makoto agreed. 

“Sure, I’m tired of just standing.” 

“Are we getting up now?” Usagi groaned. She was just starting to get comfortable.

“Come on, up,” Mamoru encouraged, tugging on her limp arm. Usagi just groaned again and slumped forward, ignoring Mamoru’s tugs on her hand. Ami double checked that they had all their bags, evenly distributing water and snacks while Rei did some more stretching. 

“Whoever gets there last buys food afterwards!” Minako cheered, adjusting the backpack on her shoulders. 

“You’re on!” Makoto grinned playfully, the fuel of competition gearing everyone up. 

“Aw,  _ food _ ,” Usagi sighed wistfully, finally letting Mamoru pull her to her feet. The group headed towards the fork, Michiru and Makoto following a stubborn Haruka while the others headed to the east path, Mamoru still tugging Usagi forward. 

“Walk safely everyo—  _ one! _ Hey!” Rei yelped as Makoto tugged her over to the other side. 

“Gotta keep the teams even,” she explained. 

“But…” Rei looked into the furiously competitive look in Haruka’s eyes that dared her to say anything about the right path and then back over to the East Team (aka the right option) that waved sympathetically at her. 

“Have fun!”

“Good luck!” 

Rei just sighed and followed behind Makoto and Michiru. 

“It’s fine,” she mumbled, resolutely marching on. “It’ll be a good leg workout.” 

Sometime later, Usagi sat on a cold bench leaning against Mamoru’s side enjoying the pretty view of fluffy white clouds and grey city in the distance. The other team had yet to arrive so Usagi’s feet were able to take a well-deserved break. Usagi flexed her gloved fingers, hoping they’d warm up a little more. The gloves weren’t particularly thick and were just a  _ little _ too big on her rather petite hands so she had to keep tugging them up her wrists every time the got scrunched up. She missed her Senshi gloves that contoured against every bend of her fingers perfectly and were much warmer than the discount gloves her mother bought her a few winters ago. 

“Here,” Mamoru pulled her hands apart, gently pushing a couple of hot packs into her palm. 

“Thank you,” Usagi sang, warmth spreading through her fingers already.

“Hey! You’ve just been hoarding those this entire time?” Minako stomped her away over, looming above a seating Mamoru. “My hands are freezing here too!”

“Bring  _ gloves _ next time— _ hey! _ ” Mamoru leaned back, squirming, as Minako forcibly searched through his jacket pockets, firm grip on the material. Usagi stifled her laughter as the two of them continued to squabble like school children with flailing arms and hair tugging. On her left, Ami let out a sigh while shaking her head, her hair curling around her jaw as she did. Usagi offered her one of the heat packs, nudging her softly to get her attention. 

“It’s okay! You use them Usagi-chan. My hands are doing fine,” Ami wiggled her fingers to demonstrate. Eventually Minako gave up her conquest, heading closer to the rail to look at the view some more, hands tucked under her armpits.

Atmosphere calm again, Usagi dug through the snack bag, looking for something else to satiate her. A few minutes later Mamoru and she were sharing mandarin oranges (in a grotesquely domestic and romantic manner according to Ami and Mina) that he peeled because Usagi’s hands were pretty much useless in those gloves. But a ruckus soon broke out again by the #1 Ruckus Creator herself, one Aino Minako. 

“Agh, my  _ booties! _ ” Minako wailed, lifting one leg and looking back over her right shoulder at her muddied mess of a heel. Once light grey boots were now a mess of brown mud and bits of leaves and grass. 

“My socks are all wet too! What do I do now?” The wailing continued. 

“Why are you asking me?” Ami blinked, perplexed at why Minako was looking in her direction. “I _told_ _you_ not to wear anything new or expensive.” 

Minako griped some more, sulking as she sat down on the bench next to Ami, “Ugh, the tag said waterproof! But my socks are all gross and wet now and they’re making a gross squishing sound, _ ewww _ . Do you think if I complain they’ll give me a refund?” 

“Sorry, Mina but I think you lost your money on that purchase,” Usagi giggled at Minako’s strangled wail as the slightly taller blonde continued to scrutinize the damage done to her boots, flexing her foot and tugging at them. Usagi’s own feet were nice and dry, although a little cold now that she had been sitting for a good 10 minutes. Her grouchy mood was dissipating now that she curled up next to Mamoru, snacking on oranges and some cashews. The view was really nice up here too; it’d be the perfect place for a picnic. You know, if you didn’t have to hike for over 45 minutes to get up here in the first place. 

“ _ Crap! _ ” Minako gasped. Usagi looked over to see the sole of her boot hanging loosely, only attached at the heel. Minako’s muddy and wet socks could be seen in the gaping hole, damp and gunky. 

“What the hell?” She turned to the other three, gesturing at her ruined shoe, utterly baffled. 

“Don’t laugh!” Minako cried, only making it harder for the three of them to stifle their laughter. 

“Oh,  _ Mina _ ,” Usagi giggled affectionately. 

“ _ Ahh _ , how could this happen?” Minako let out a disbelieving laugh herself almost hysterically, as she was astonished at her predicament. She forcefully removed the broken boot, inspecting it closer. “Can you believe I paid so much for  _ this _ ?” 

“I  _ told _ you not to get those ones,” Ami chided. 

“What do I do now?” Minako pouted, holding the broken, filthy shoe in her arms. 

“You’re gonna have to throw them out.” 

“No, _ duh _ . I mean how am I gonna get home with only one boot? My socks are totally ruined too,” Minkao bent over peeking down at her cold, wet foot and wiggled her toes to stop them from going numb. 

“We can buy you another pair of shoes to wear when we go back,” Mamoru offered. 

“There should be some shops nearby,” Ami nodded. 

“Can you buy me some new socks too? My feet are getting cold.” 

“Don’t get sick!” Usagi insisted, now concerned for her poor friend. 

“Ugh, I’m so mad!” Minako tossed her boot aside, “These are going straight into the trash.” 

“What are we throwing into the trash?” Michiru asked, her head popping up between Ami and Minako, causing Minako to scream and nearly fall forwards. 

“You guys finally made it!” Usagi exclaimed, hugging Michiru at the waist when she came closer. 

“What are we throwing away?” Michiru asked again, patting Usagi’s head. 

“Minako’s cheap boots,” Mamoru explained pointing a thumb at a one-shoed Minako. 

“Throw out your poor shopping sense while you’re at it,” Haruka barked out a laugh. 

Minako scowled, “Yeah, right along with  _ your _ crap sense of direction?” 

“So! How was your hike anyway,” Ami intervening in a timely manner as per usual. 

“It was awful,” Rei’s voice was vacant and hollow and she offered no further explanation. Although the smears of mud and dirt on their clothes and leaves and petals in everyone’s hair spoke for itself. Only Michiru came out unscathed because, well, she was Michiru.

“It wasn’t  _ that _ bad,” Haruka grumbled, making her way over and kicking Minako’s discarded shoe. The rest of them were smart enough not to comment any further lest they want to invoke the wrath of Sailor Uranus. 

“What happened to  _ you _ though?” Makoto asked stopping in front of a single-shoed Minako.

“Mako-chan!” the blonde sobbed, arms reaching upwards at her, like a toddler wishing to be comforted. “My boots got ruined even though I paid so much for them and the tag swore they were waterproof, wear-proof, weather-proof. A billion kinds of proof! And now look at them. They’re  _ ruined! _ ” Makoto watched Minako grieve with sympathetic eyes, although slightly overwhelmed at the other girl’s rant, Minako latching onto the taller girl’s jacket sleeves. 

“That’s your dumbass’ fault for buying them. Anyone with half a brain cell could figure out they’d get messed up on a hike,” Rei shook her head, accepting some nuts from Usagi and sitting down on the adjacent bench. Michiru and Haruka had already moved on from the commotion, taking a closer look at the view and snapping pictures. 

“You have to carry me down now, Mako! My socks are all wet too and my feet hurt and are cold and muddy and it’s so gross!” Makoto sighed, looking over to where Ami, Usagi, and Mamoru were sitting. Ami just shook her head in exasperation, a silent message of  _ it’s your turn to deal with her _ . 

“What am I gonna do with this kid?” Makoto sighed, as Minako continued to pull on her sleeves. Everyone else took a quick water break, getting ready to trek back down the mountain. 

“Mamo-chan, you carry me too! My feet still hurt so much,” Usagi moped when Mamoru stood up. 

Mamoru sighed, but there was fondness in it. He tugged on Usagi’s hair teasingly before letting her climb onto his back, legs wrapped tightly around his waist. 

“Mako, see! Why can’t you love me like that?” Minako’s moaning persisted. 

“Let’s go, I’m starving!” The eight of them headed out, following the trail down to the start. 

“Ooh, what should we eat when we get down?”

“Something with lots of meat!” Usagi demanded. 

“Same, I want beef or pork!”

“We need to buy shoes and socks for Minako first.” 

“Minako you’re choking me. At least hold on properly!” 

“You left one of your boots behind.”

“Leave it, I don’t want to bring those memories back with me.” 

The trip going down was much easier and shorter, or maybe it just felt that way because Mamoru carried her down. But Usagi could cheerfully say she had a good time that day with her most favourite people. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god I LOVE writing Minako and Mamoru scenes. They're so much fun and I imagine they have a very sibling-y relationship.
> 
> Also hiking in the autumn is the best thing ever, everything looks so pretty. 10/10 reccomend (but wear proper boots!!)
> 
> also this was originally supposed to be set in a corn maze but i realized japan doesn't have corn mazes because it's an excessively north american farm land thing. so hiking trails.


	3. you set my heart on fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the moment I met you,  
My life was all you  
You’re the star that turns ordinaries into extraordinaries  
One after another, everything is special  
The things you’re interested in, the way you walk or talk, and every little trivial habit of yours
> 
> A Poem for the Small Things (Boy with Luv)— BTS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> candlelit dinner ooh la la. and snacks! yum!

* * *

“I can’t do it. You have to.”

“It’s not that hard. Just go a bit faster and harder.”

“No. Like I _ really _ cannot do it.”

“You’re almost there, just angle it a bit more…”

_ Snap! _

“...This is not going well,” Usagi glanced at the growing pile of destroyed matches, setting the one she just snapped on top. 

“I guess you really can’t light a match,” Mamoru sighed.

“I _ told _ you,” Usagi whined. “Besides can’t you just use a lighter?” Usagi made a motion with her hand, thumb going up and down as if there was one in her hand. 

Mamoru sighed again, gently taking the matchbox from her hands. Usagi watched with rapt attention as he smoothly struck the match against the side, an orange flame bursting at the tip along with a plume of smoke. He moved the flame over the candle’s center, igniting the wick before moving onto the next one.

“Yay!” Usagi cheered with a clap. She bounced up to her feet and rushed over to the light switch, flicking it off. The dark room made the glow of the candles look rather pretty, she thought. She went and sat on the ground next to Mamoru again, eyes watching the dancing flames of the candles set on the coffee table. She leaned forward, chin resting on top of her arms that lay on the edge of the table, hair pushed back behind her shoulders because talk about a _ fire hazard. _

“You just wanted to look at them?” Mamoru asked with a slight chuckle, eyes fondly watching Usagi. 

“It’s fun,” she whispered. “They’re pretty and warm. And it smells nice now.” She had spent a painstaking amount of time deciding which scent to light. In the end, she had chosen a sweet apple blossom along with a vanilla rose, the sweet scents mingling together in a splendidly delightful smell. 

“We should roast marshmallows,” Usagi beamed enthusiastically, turning her head towards Mamoru. 

“On top of wax candles?” Mamoru raised an eyebrow. Usagi nodded, an earnest eagerness present in the bob of her head and the bounce of her hair. 

“I’ll go grab them,” Usagi bounded to her feet, stepping over Mamoru and making her way to the kitchen. 

“Turn the light on!” Mamoru called after her, well aware that the dark and her innate clumsiness was not a good combination. Usagi rolled her eyes at Mamoru’s worrying, and switched on her phone flashlight, now wanting to totally ruin the ambiance of the candles. She rummaged through Mamoru’s pantry, looking for the marshmallows and whatever other snacks he had on hand (which was usually an abundant selection considering how often Usagi came over). Usagi perused through the pantry, fingers skimming over Pocky and potato chips. She settled on some gummy bears and chocolate wafers, along with the jumbo-sized marshmallows, and grabbed two metal skewers from the drawer next to the microwave before pausing for a moment. She tilted her head, left eye scrunched up a bit, debating if she needed anything else.

“Ah, what the hell,” Usagi giggled, skipping back towards the fridge and grabbing some whipped cream and strawberries. Arms full of supplies, the cheerful blonde returned to the cozy nook by Mamoru’s bookshelf and window. 

She paused when she was a few feet away, taking a look at Mamoru stretched out on the ground. One leg was tucked under the other that was stretched out underneath the coffee table, back leaning against the sofa behind him, with an arm propped up on the cushion. The glow from the six candles they lit created a warm aura, illuminating Mamoru beautifully. Usagi observed for a moment, as the flickering flames casting soft shadows and a light shine onto Mamoru’s face, drawing attention to the sharpness of his cheekbones and the smooth, ever-so-slight concave slope of his nose. His skin seemed almost golden in the light of the fire, brightened in contrast to his dark hair and the white of his long-sleeved shirt. 

Usagi didn’t know how long she stood there for, but Mamoru eventually looked over in her direction, their eyes locking with each other. Usagi took note of how his usually rich blue eyes were now filled with glimmering whites and golds, reflecting the flames from the candles. He looked beautiful. Absolutely lovely. Stunningly bewitching, leaving Usagi in a trance. An ethereal elegance and handsome surrounded and embraced him. And belatedly, Usagi realized she probably looked like a total dope standing there in the dark, a bag of brightly coloured gummy worms hanging from her mouth. 

Mamoru blinked, before a wry smile appeared on his face, “I thought we were roasting _ marshmallows _.” 

Usagi made her way over, releasing the gummy bears from her mouth and letting them fall onto the plush carpet. 

“That’s hardly a balanced meal, Mamo-chan.” She said with an air of bizarre dignity. Mamoru nodded his head, an amused smile on his face as it always did when he entertained her comical proclamations. 

“Dairy,” Usagi held up the can of whipped cream, seal still unbroken. 

“Fruit,” she gestured to the bowl of strawberries, freshly washed. 

“And, bread,” Finally raising a box of Almond Pocky. 

“First, I don’t think _ bread _ is a food group,” Mamoru said, unable to keep the laughter out of his voice. “Second,” he said, grabbing the bag of marshmallows and Usagi arranged everything else on the table in a neat line, “You’re missing meat.”

Usagi’s eyes wandered over the snacks laid out, nodding her head silently. “You’re right! Let’s order something!” And for the third time that night, Usagi jumped up onto her feet, grabbing her phone. 

“That’s not what I meant—” 

“Pork? Or maybe fried chicken?” Usagi mused. “We’ll have to get something else with it too, you can’t just have meat alone.” Mamoru sighed, laying his head back against the seat cushion as Usagi dialled the number of her latest takeout craze and rattled off an order that was much too large for two people. Unless one of those people were Tsukino Usagi. 

An hour later, after finishing candlelit dinner that consisted of spicy ginger pork, whipped cream covered strawberries, and gummy bears, the couple watched at the last of the wax melted. It was peaceful, in a way, to watch the flames dancing, flickering and waning every now and then; the wick turning black, covered in soot and thin tendrils of smoke coming up. Not peaceful? Mamoru turning the lights on to clean up, blinding Usagi with harsh fluorescent light bulbs.

“Sorry,” Mamoru laughed a bit, watched Usagi cover herself with pillows and a throw blanket, crying out about going blind. Only when she heard him blow out a candle did she emerge from her fort.

“Wait, wait! I wanted to do it!” Usagi clamped a hand over Mamoru’s mouth, the other hand clutching the back on his shirt, after launching herself on top of him. Mamoru gently detangled himself from her clutches, rolling his eyes.

“Okay, okay. You could have just _ asked _.” Picking up the rest of the mess, Mamoru took it to the kitchen and Usagi excitedly blew out the rest of the candles watching with the wonderment of a child as the flames disappeared and swirls of smoke were left in their place. Afterwards, she set them aside to let them cool down and reharden. She could hear Mamoru washing dishes in the kitchen so Usagi decided to relax against the back of the sofa, pulling her hair loose from her regular buns. She was placing the last of her bobby pins on the tabletop when Mamoru returned sitting next to her. 

They stared at each other for a moment, no need to make pointless conversation, before Usagi found herself in Mamoru’s lap again, arms around his neck, and lips against his. It was marginally colder now that the heat of the handles wasn’t warming her face but being pressed chest-to-chest against Mamoru was one way (and Usagi’s preferred method) to get warm again.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i will admit that this is based off the fact that i too cannot light a match to save my life. it's just not happening. i don't know why it's just out of my skill set. 
> 
> lighting candles (with the help of my family because i am inept) is one of my favourite things to do in fall! it's so fun and therapeutic.

**Author's Note:**

> i feel like mamoru doesn't get sick very often but when he does he's absolutely terrible at taking care of himself so it's like an all hands on deck situation. also headcanoning the weather changes when he does get sick because the earth literally almost collapsed when he almost died that one time (and also it happened for mako so shhh)


End file.
